


A Wish of Luck, Hope, and Despair

by Artistic_FloofHead



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Aladdin AU, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Awkward Hinata Hajime, Confused Hinata Hajime, Inspired by Aladdin (Disney Movies), Komaeda Nagito Being Komaeda Nagito, Komaeda Nagito Is Obsessed With Hope, M/M, Minor Sonia Nevermind/Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham, Oma Kokichi Is a Little Shit, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tsundere Hinata Hajime, this was born from a literal showerthought and snowballed from there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 16:33:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28691745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artistic_FloofHead/pseuds/Artistic_FloofHead
Summary: "The talentless have no rights. Without a talent, you're as good as nothing."Hajime Hinata knew this truth ever since the day he was born, repeated it like a mantra in his head. With no parents and no permanent place to call home, he resorted to the practice of thievery and scavenging for food. He knew the only way to ever get ahead in life was if you were insanely good at something, but try as he will, he never succeeded.Well... or so he thought.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Komaeda Nagito
Comments: 13
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stumbled upon a Tangled Kamukoma AU once and I immediately fell in love with the idea of a fairytale Komahina/Kamukoma AU and wished to write one sometime... This is what happened.
> 
> Anyways —*cracks knuckles*— time to fuse Disney princesses and magic lamps with the pink blood murder game with a talking monochrome bear.

"Get back here you talentless street rat!"

Hajime picked up the pace, clutching the loaf of bread in his hand a little tighter. He nearly tripped over making a couple of sharp turns down the streets, but the adrenaline pumping in his veins urged him to keep on going. He had heard stories about people like him being beaten up by the Ultimate Boxer, Juzo Sakakura, otherwise known as the head of the royal guard.

Who just so happened to be standing next to the stall where he stole the bread from. 

_He was, in short, royally screwed._

Hajime was no good at parkour, but he managed to climb up a balcony and take a shortcut across a few building tops. Sakakura looked athletic, meaning he'd probably move fast, but Hajime knew the area by heart, so it would still take some time for him to be found. All he had to do was keep running.

That was the life he led, and for people like Hajime, there was nothing they could do about it. 

The Kingdom of Hope's Peak was a lively, majestic land flourishing with life, and was a very important trade center for all sorts of things. Not only that, the kingdom had lots to offer as well in terms of tourism, recreation, and entertainment. All this was made possible through the power of people specially selected for their immense talent, called Ultimates. Hope's Peak didn't just select anyone; you had to be the best of the best of _the best_. If you have nothing to offer talent-wise, you were forced to pay an enormous cost of living, and if you can't pay...

_You're nothing but a waste of breathing space._

The bias was painfully obvious and unfair, and Hajime hated it. The discrimination was so bad that he wasn't even _allowed_ to step foot in the marketplace normally.

After what felt like hours of wandering through the city, he was finally able to slip into a dark alley with little people. _No one will find me here._

As he was about to eat his bread, he heard quiet sniffling from the other end of the alley. 

"I-Is anyone there?" He asked.

A young girl with long, dirty pink pigtails stepped out into the dim light, hugging herself tightly. Her dress was torn and ragged. "I-I lost my mommy... I'm scared..." She seemed to stare at the piece of bread Hajime was holding.

Hajime looked at her, then at the bread. "Do you want it?"

Wiping her face, the girl nodded and took the bread. As soon as she did, her lips curled into a mischievous smile.

"Get him!"

Hajime felt an egg hit the back of his head, followed by sticks and pebbles. 

Laughter came from all around him as the girl ran off with a bunch of other children, high-fiving them as they went. One red-haired boy turned around to blow him a raspberry before leaving. 

_God, I really am stupid. This was my best set of clothes..._

Sulking, Hajime made his way back to the outskirts of the city where he stayed, trying to avoid the crowd. He showered as best as he could with water from a nearby well (A kind old man was willing to let him use it) and he changed into yet another set of old, worn clothes. It was even _less_ passable for someone not in poverty. The shirt was faded and a few sizes too big and the pants were full of patched holes, but it was better than nothing. 

His stomach grumbled.

_Dammit... I'm gonna have to start over._

He headed out once more to the marketplace. Luckily, it seemed that Sakakura gave up his search for him, so he relaxed a bit.

Looking around for a good place to grab food without anybody noticing, he saw a stall selling fresh fruits and vegetables. The shopkeeper was fast asleep in his chair.

_All he had to do was sneak up, and—_

"Ack!"

Someone had bumped into him, almost knocking him over.

"Ah, I'm so sorry!" A soft, breathy voice said.

Hajime looked up to a guy about as tall as he was wrapped in a dark green cloak covered with faded square-shaped red patches. The hood served well to mask most of the stranger's features, but the grey-green eyes that were staring back at him with concern stood out.

Right beside him spilled a pouch of gold coins. The contents of those would last Hajime a good two months, maybe half a year if he really stretched it. 

He pocketed the money. The stranger took no notice.

"I really do apologize." They mumbled. "I really am a despicable human being for not looking where I'm going—"

"Hey, hey, calm down." Hajime frowned. "It happens all the time. No need to get so worked up over it." 

"That's... kind of you to say... You don't really need to apologize though, it's my fault anyway..."

_They just bumped into me, it's not that much of a big deal..._

Hajime took pity on them and gave back the pouch. "It seems you dropped this."

"Thank you! And...I'm afraid I don't know where I'm going, haha!" The stranger said in a shaky voice. "I'm not used to going out here all by myself."

"So... You're lost?" Hajime asked, before realizing it was a useless question.

"It seems like it." The stranger nodded. "I shouldn't be bothering you any longer, I'll find my way back somehow."

"No, wait." Hajime said. "It's dangerous to wander around aimlessly like that. You could get mugged or kidnapped or something worse. Look, I know the entire area by heart. I don't mind helping you out."

"You, you really mean that?" The other asked, eyes lighting up.

"Yeah, why not? I don't have anything better to do anyway." Hajime held out his hand. "I'm Hajime Hinata, by the way."

"Thank you, thank you Hinata-kun!" The other was holding his hand a _tad_ bit too long for a mere handshake. "And, um, you can call me... Servant!"

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "Servant?"

Servant nodded with enthusiasm. That was _no_ way his actual name.

Before the thoughts of _ohgod what if he's just a con artist_ could fester in his mind, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Or rather, _someone_.

_Oh crap, Sakakura's back._

"We need to go. Now." Hajime whispered and tugged on Servant's cloak.

"Right." He whispered as well, thankfully getting the hint to keep quiet. 

Hajime led Servant through the crowd, Servant's grip tight on Hajime's sleeve. The marketplace was rather busy today, so it was easy to hide among all the people. Hajime was able to find a spot between buildings where they can chat without looking suspicious. 

"I wonder what Hinata-kun's talent is?" Servant spoke up all of a sudden. "My luck graced me with meeting someone so kind, surely my savior is also blessed with a wonderful talent!"

Hajime froze up.

_He... He doesn't know..._

"I..." Hajime started to say.

_There was absolutely no way he was telling him._

"I , uh, well..." Hajime stuttered. "I'm not, uhm, _Idon'tremember_." He said quickly, making a weird gesture with his hands.

_Nice going Hajime._

Servant just looked at him in confusion. "You can't remember your talent?"

"Uh..."

_Of all the things you could have said..._ Hajime inwardly groaned. _You really are an idiot._

"Y-Yeah!" He said too suddenly. "It's... kind of hard to explain..."

"Oh no, you don't need to trouble yourself if you can't remember!" Servant said. "Hmm, a friend of mine is the Ultimate Nurse, so she might be able to help!"

_Is he that gullible or does he deal with these kinds of situations daily?_

"How about you?" Hajime shifted the topic. "What's your talent?"

"Me? Hahaha!" Servant laughed. "My talent isn't worth talking about! It's useless compared to everyone else's."

"Eh? How can a talent be useless?"

Servant looked at Hajime, face suddenly serious. "I'm lucky."

Hajime was even more confused. "You're... what?"

"Luck, Hinata-kun! Hope's Peak took me in as the Ultimate Luck!" 

"Ultimate... Luck?" Hajime asked. "How does that even work?"

"Ah, but that's a really long story to tell, Hinata-kun!" Servant said. "But in a nutshell, I have immense amounts of good and bad luck! Think of it as a cycle, fortune invites misfortune, and misfortune invites fortune! Now that I think about it... Wouldn't that make the bad luck good, and the good luck bad?"

Hajime was already lost at the concept of luck being an accepted talent by Hope's Peak. "Luck, huh.... Does that mean you always win the lottery?"

"Mmhm!" Servant nodded. "However, It comes at a dire price! There was one time I hit the jackpot, but right after a cart almost ran into me and turned me into a pancake!"

"I-" Hajime was at a loss for words. "That's... Something, alright..."

"Don't worry though, Hinata-kun! Togami-kun actually banned me from any further lotteries afterwards!"

_How weird can this guy get???_

"Hmm..." Servant seemed to be deep in thought. "Maybe I can try to guess Hinata-kun's talent?"

Hajime's eyes widened. "Oh, you don't need to do that—"

"I insist!" The other beamed. Hajime almost felt guilty. "It's the least I can do to repay your kindness!"

"How would I even know if your guess is correct?"

"Intuition, Hinata-kun! Sometimes a gut feeling can be accurate!"

Hajime gulped nervously. There's no way he can actually guess it, right? Luck can't make you magically read minds. 

"Let's see... What talent would befit Hinata-kun?" Servant scrunched his nose in concentration. It was actually kind of endearing.

"Ultimate... Clumsy Student!"

Hajime let out a _phew_ in relief. "Considering I can't remember my talent, maybe..."

"If that's the case, how about Ultimate Scatterbrain?"

"H-Hey! Have a little faith in me! I don't want a talent like that!" 

"But a talent's a talent!" Nagito said. "Fine, how about... Ultimate Tsun-Tsun Hair!"

"Now you're just being ridiculous!"

"But the title would suit you very well!"

Pouting, Hajime shoved Servant's shoulder lightly.

"Ow, please don't hit me Hinata-kun!" Servant said, feigning hurt, but trying to hide his laugh. "Besides, you're only proving my point!"

"S-Shut up!" Hajime said, though there was no bite to it. In fact, he couldn't help but smile. This.. was probably the most lighthearted moment he had in forever.

"Hmm... Ultimate Serenity seems fitting."

"Ultimate Serenity?" Hinata questioned. "Where did _that_ one come from?"

"Well... Your presence is rather calming." Servant said with a smile. "Heh, despite getting lost here in the city this might be the most peaceful I've been since leaving the ca—oh, uh, well..."

He trails off, a solemn expression on his face. 

"What's wrong?"

"Ah, it's nothing! Hinata-kun shouldn't concern himself with my problems after all!"

And just like that, the joyful moment they created quickly dissolved into a tense silence. Servant looked like he suddenly remembered something he didn't want to.

Hajime took a good look at Servant once more. Underneath the hood, Hajime could see white wisps of hair sticking out. The cloak he had with him didn't reach all the way to his feet, revealing a pair of dark brown pants dusted with sand. Compared to his own raggedy clothes, Hajime could assume that wherever Servant was from, he was far more well-off than he was. The pouch of gold coins proved this theory.

_Cloak to hide himself. Carrying a large amount of money. Despite having better clothes he had a rather disheveled appearance. Wandering around in an area he didn't know well._

_Mentioned "leaving" before going silent all of a sudden._

The pieces clicked together in Hajime's head.

"Servant... are you running away?"

Servant suddenly tensed. "Haha... What gave you that idea?"

"You mentioned "leaving". Also, I saw your pouch." Hajime stated. "Unless you're gonna buy a shopkeeper's supply of goods, it's rather unusual to have that much money on you, and you mentioned getting lost wandering, so I can assume you aren't coming here to do any sort of business involving money."

A few moments of silence passed, before Servant laughed, voice sounding more gravelly than awhile ago.

"Hinata-kun seems to be more analytical than I thought!" Servant said, a little too happily. "Perhaps your talent is the Ultimate Analyst?"

"You're dodging the question." 

"With all due respect Hinata-kun, I believe that's none of your business." Servant fiddled with the hem of his cloak. "I'm rather flattered by your concern, but trust me, I—"

He didn't finish as Hajime was roughly yanked backwards to the ground.

_"You have some nerve, walking back here after a thief like you has stolen again and again from us."_

A harsh kick to his side.

_He let his guard down._

Hajime turned his head to get a glimpse of Juzo Sakakura glaring at him right before he sent another kick, this time hitting Hajime in the mouth.

"A dirty leech like you shouldn't even _be_ here. You're not getting away this time."

Hajime was grabbed by the collar upward as his hands were cuffed behind his back.

"You...bastard..." Hajime choked out.

He received a punch to the face, almost hard enough to dislocate his jaw. "Talking back now, are you? Know your place, talentless _filth_." Sakakura spat at him. "People like you disgust me. All of you are parasites, thinking you deserve to live amongst us. Living ain't free, kid. At least the Reserves have the decency to pay their rent. Live your deluded fantasies somewhere where you won't bother any more people."

One last punch to his stomach made him crumple to the ground and cough out blood. 

"Stop! Enough of this!"

Hajime's vision blurred slightly from the pain and tears, but it seemed that Servant finally decided to say something.

"You dumbass..." Sakakura glared at him. "Chisa has been running herself ragged searching for you, and here I find you spending time with a talentless thief?"

"T-Talentless?" Servant's voice shook with betrayal. "Hahahah... Was this your goal, Hinata-kun? To earn my trust so you can _steal_ from me? Or were you planning to _kill_ me?"

"No! I swear I didn—" His back was suddenly stepped on, the dirty sole of Sakakura's shoe digging into his skin.

"Hah, not only do you steal, you decided to fool a high-ranking Ultimate as well." Sakakura laughed crudely. "In fact, if we were to stretch the terminology a bit you can even call him _your highness_."

_Your highness?!?_

He finally managed to look upwards. Servant had taken the hood off, revealing a head of white fluff, almost as if he had a cloud for hair. 

"You." Sakakura addressed Servant. "Don't think I'll let you off the hook just because you're somehow one of Kirigiri's favorites. Just because you're _lucky_ doesn't mean you're allowed to constantly break rules. You wouldn't want to end up like _him_ now, don't you?"

He pressed down harder on Hajime's back for emphasis, his face digging into the dirt. 

"Understood, but on one condition." Servant said. "He goes free."

"What?" Hajime and Sakakura said in unison.

"Though Hinata-kun lied about his status, he had assisted me when I got lost. I am not sure if he had ulterior motives, but if it weren't for him, I could have possibly been kidnapped or robbed by now." Servant looked at Hajime in disdain, as opposed to the smile he received from him a while ago. "This is simply returning the favor."

Sakakura seemed to reconsider, before unlocking the cuffs with a _click_.

"Don't show your face here ever again." Sakakura muttered to him. "I see you step foot in the area and you might just be sentenced an execution."

Hajime shakily stood up and turned to face Servant. "Servant, I'm so—"

"You will address me as Nagito Komaeda." He said coldly. "And here I thought we could have been friends..."

"Komaeda, please—" 

"You're not even worthy of kissing my shoes. I have no reason to talk to you any further. Get out of my sight." 

Wide-eyed, injured, and in all sorts of pain, Hajime scrambled away as fast as he could.

Unbeknownst to him, one Nagito Komaeda was staring sadly at the spot where he stood as Sakakura dragged him back to the castle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Kingdom: I am taking _several_ creative liberties here and replacing the monarchy with a weird form of aristocracy because I have no idea how else to insert the other characters here. In a nutshell, the Ultimates here are the ruling class, with most of the freshmen being privately taught at Hope's Peak Castle until they master the use of their talent and are mature enough to live independently. All the Ultimates in the kingdom live in cities within close proximity to the castle unless they choose to move away. Farther away are the talentless but wealthy Reserves, whose sole purpose is to pay taxes to fund Hope's Peak's projects. Finally, the poor, homeless people stay around the outskirts of the kingdom, where you're either kicked out to die or end up becoming a thief just for survival.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentines! Have a chapter as a gift! :D

"So? What are you waiting for? Just go in already! I don't have all day, you know!"

In the middle of the hot desert stood a gigantic cave that resembled a bear, its mouth serving as the cave's entrance. In front of it stood three people: A pompous girl with long, bleached pink hair tied into massive pigtails, a plainer-looking girl with short, black hair who rather resembled the first one, and a quivering boy with neck-length brown hair. 

"S-Sorry!" The boy said. "I'll go on right ahead!"

Forcing his shaky legs to work, he stepped foot into the cave.

Only for the entrance to suddenly shut. A high-pitched scream was heard, followed by complete silence. The cave's mouth reopened and there was no sight of the boy whatsoever. 

"Huh, that's a bummer."

"Junko... You said this was the guy." The black-haired girl mumbled, still staring at the cave's entrance.

"Oh, did I say that? My bad!" Junko said in a cutesy voice. "But isn't it sooooo despairing Mukuro? We got the wrong guy again!"

"Mitarai was already the 16th person you brought here. I don't think—"

"Ugh god, do you always have to complain??" Junko grabbed her shoe and threw it at Mukuro, barely dodging. "Stupid smelly sister! And after all this effort to make ourselves both feel despair..."

"Sorry Junko..."

"Yeah, whatever." Junko's tone turned dismissive. "I already know who we're supposed to look for anyway. I'm bored of all this. Let's just go find that dumb "Diamond-in-the-rough-thingy-guy-whateveryoucallit." That's where the _real_ fun begins."

She grinned to herself, seemingly in a state of pure ecstasy. "Ahh... Just imagining it gives me the thrills, chills, kills! A world filled with nothing but despair..."

_"What better way to start it than with some talentless nobody?"_

* * *

"Make way you morons! Ultimate Supreme Leader coming through!"

A pristine white horse sped across the road, almost bumping into a mechanical cart that drove itself. The horse's rider let out a small "Neeheehee". 

"Hey!" Miu threw a rusty old wrench at the supreme leader's head, narrowly missing. "Don't trample my inventions, you lying little abortion!"

"Hm? Maybe if you speak up and wash the cum out of your mouth I can hear you—"

"You two, cut it out." Rantaro shook his head, trailing behind the two of them on his own horse. "We're gonna be late."

"Exact-a-mento! Which is why I'm hurrying up!" Kokichi sped in the direction of the castle. "Can't your dumb machine go any faster, Miu?" 

"Just shut the fuck up already!" 

The two bickered all the way there, Rantaro silently sighing in exasperation. 

Today marked Miss Sonia Nevermind's 18th birthday, and as the Ultimate Princess, she took it upon herself to inherit the throne on behalf of Jin Kirigiri, whose daughter, Kyoko Kirigiri, had refused the position in favor of pursuing her detective work. According to the law, ideally, the ruler-to-be should be married on or before the day of the coronation. What _really_ caught the public's attention, however, was the fact that Sonia decided to get herself not one, but _two_ husbands: The Ultimate Breeder, Gundham Tanaka, and the Ultimate Mechanic, Kazuichi Souda. 

Hajime Hinata watched the people hustle and bustle their way towards the castle from a distance away, excited to see the crowning of their new queen. He took advantage of the distracted crowd and managed to get away with an apple, a carrot, and a small bag of pumpkin seeds. He immediately went home afterwards, not wanting to risk lingering around too long after the incident from two years ago.

He actually managed to catch a glimpse of the prince he had met so long ago just a week before. When Hajime made his daily visit to the marketplace (being extra careful this time), he spotted the unmistakable white mass of hair enter the dressmaker's shop. Squinting at the window, he saw the dressmaker herself (Shirogane was her last name, right?) along with the bride-to-be herself, twirling around in a gorgeous wedding dress. Nagito was right beside her, beaming with joy.

_Against his better judgement, Hajime had gotten closer, hiding away in the gap between buildings. This... This was the first time he's seen Nagito in person in two years._

_The chime of a bell signaled the door opening._

_"Ah, Just as I expected! The dress looks wonderful on you, Sonia-san! Shirogane-san has really outdone herself! Souda-kun and Tanaka-kun will absolutely love it!"_

_"I appreciate you choosing to accompany me to the dress shop Nagito! Though, I thought we were past formalities? We already stated that it is alright for you to call us by our first names."_

_"My apologies! It's a force of habit..."_

_"No need to apologize!" Said the princess. "Now, let us return to the castle! Teruteru and his cake samples await!"_

_Nagito chuckled, a sound that was engraved deeply into Hajime's mind. It was a reminder of that one simple, yet lighthearted moment two years ago. Even if it was eventually ruined by Sakakura, he could still remember it, clear as day. Those shining eyes, that calming voice..._

Hajime shook his head at the memory. It was a stupid notion, fantasizing about someone who is way out of his league. Heck, Nagito didn't want anything to do with him after Sakakura revealed that he was talentless.

Yet, a part of him wished, _hoped_ , that they had a chance to talk again. 

_Yeah, like that's ever going to happen. No Ultimate in their right mind would want to stay around a useless, pathetic human being._

He suddenly didn't feel like staying in his sorry excuse for a home any longer.

Plucking out a vest and shirt from a pile of secondhand clothes he managed to get a hand on, he went for a stroll around the outskirts of the kingdom, going nowhere in particular. It's not like there'd be anyone to stop him this time. He walked and kept on walking until his feet were sore and begging for rest.

Minutes turned to hours as the sun set and the sky began to darken.

_I should probably get back..._

He retraced his steps going back the way he came.

_Crunch, crunch._

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

_Was... was he being followed?_

He took a quick glance over his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two hooded figures a few feet behind him.

Anxiety spiking, Hajime walked just a tad bit faster.

Unfortunately for him, he had been so distracted by the fact that he was being followed that he took a wrong step and ended up tripping on his own feet.

_Oh no oh god I'm gonna die I'm gonna get killed—_

"Oh no! Are you alright?"

A hand with long red nails reached out to him. He reluctantly took it and stood up. 

The person who helped him up took off their hood, revealing a girl with two unnaturally pink pigtails.

"Ah!" She said. "This... This must be yet another fateful encounter!"

_Fateful encounter...?_

"Mukuro! Don't just stand there! Say hi!"

The other person, Mukuro apparently, took off their hood as well. "Hello."

"That's barely an introduction!" The girl with pigtails groaned. "This is my older, stinkier, uglier sister, Mukuro. And I'm the younger sister, smart, cute, and loved by everyone—Junko fucking Enoshima!"

Junko stared at Hajime intently, the unspoken agreement of _"I told you my name, it's only fair that you tell yours."_ hanging in the air.

"The name's Hinata..."

"So, what's a chump like you doing out here so late?" Junko asked. "It's getting dark, you know?"

"I... uh..." Hajime stuttered. _What's even happening?_ "I was just going for a walk."

"Oh? Out here, on the outskirts of town?" Junko raised an eyebrow. "That's funny, Ultimates don't normally go out this far."

Hajime winced. "About that..."

"Oh. Right. You're not an Ultimate, are you?" She deadpanned.

_Wha— How did she know???_

"Yeah, in case you were wondering, I could tell. You give off the vibe of a tooootally hopeless person!"

Hajime took a step backwards. Everything about this entire situation was fishy. Just who were these girls? 

"What do you want from me?" Hajime asked, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. 

"Well, you see, I'm in a bit of a predicament here. You see the desert right? So right in the middle of the desert is this weird bear-shaped cave." Junko traced a bear shape in the air. "In that cave is basically Scrooge McDuck's money bin: more gold and diamonds than Hope's Peak could ever own! But who cares about that, am I right?" She giggled. "Anyway, deep, deep, _deep_ in that cave is a magical lamp that I lost a long time ago and I _really_ want it back."

"W-Why are you telling me this??" Hajime was just as confused as ever. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Because guess what? A loser like you is actually the chosen one!"

_What?_

"Sentient bear cave said only "The Diamond in the Rough" can enter," She put air quotes for emphasis. "And my research dictates that that just so happened to be you! Isn't that so lucky?"

Hajime simply stared at her. "I don't understand..."

"C'mon, really?" Her tone suddenly deepened. "You didn't pick up anything from my 15 minutes of exposition? Fine, TLDR: I need you to get that magic lamp in the cave for me." Her tone switched yet again. "Preeeeetty pleeeease??? And, as a reward, you don't have to live all lonely and miserable anymore! I can give you enough money to last you a lifetime, plus, you won't need to pay the despairingly expensive tax Hope's Peak demands from the Reserves!"

"You can do that?" Hajime's eyes widened. 

"Of course I can! I'm the royal adviser after all. Hope's Peak would be more than willing to grant me a few favors."

"Royal... Adviser?" Hajime repeated.

"Yeah. In case you didn't know, my talent is the Ultimate Analyst." Junko struck a pose. "Being able to solve problems in the blink of an eye is my specialty. A talent like that is indispensable when it comes to running a kingdom."

Hajime was getting whiplash from all this new info dumped onto him. 

"This...This all sounds too good to be true." He shook his head. "Me? What's so special about me that I have to do it? For all I know, you could just be tricking me!"

Junko's expression darkened. "Yeah... I get that... I do sound like a crazy old woman huh... Of course I'd get rejected..."

_How does she change moods so quickly??_

"Anyway... It seems like I can't convince you, so I'll just be on my way now." Junko sighed. "Let's go Mukuro."

"Hey, hold on a second!" Hajime spoke up. "So... All I have to do is get the lamp? That's it?"

"Mmhm! Easy peasy!" Junko perked up. "You don't need to decide now if it's too much trouble for you. If you change your mind, meet me here at 4:00 PM tomorrow. I've been away from the castle for far too long now, so I best be going! Toodle-loo!"

She gestured for Mukuro to follow her, and they both left promptly, leaving Hajime alone to contemplate his decision.

The entire situation was already suspicious. What even are the chances that an Ultimate, _the royal advisor of the kingdom,_ would take an interest in him and offer him a better life out of nowhere? And for a _lamp_ of all things.

_Then again, his meeting with Komaeda years ago was also by pure chance..._

All things considered, he didn't really have anything to lose. At least, this was a chance for things to get better. He was already at rock bottom in regards to his living state anyway. It's not like anything worse could happen.

Hajime took a deep breath. All he had to do was get the lamp. That's all.

_I guess I'm doing this._

* * *

"We're here!"

Hajime found himself in front of a gigantic cave, and as Junko described, its entrance was vaguely shaped like some sort of weird bear. 

"Oh! Before I forget!" Junko clasped her hands together. "Make sure not to disturb any of the other treasures until you get the lamp! You don't wanna end up like the other guys I asked to go in on my behalf!"

_That is not reassuring at all..._

"That's all, now go get 'em!"

Junko not-so-gently shoved Hajime towards the entrance. The cave seemed to run really deep underground, as he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him even with the aid of a small lantern Junko had given him.

_Deep breaths Hajime._

One step, two steps. Nothing bad had happened.

Relaxing a little, he marched further in. 

Hajime soon found himself in an enormous cavern, the entire place filled with more riches than he had ever seen before. Gold coins covered every inch of the cavern floor, some of them spilling out of numerous chests here and there. Dotted among the gold coins were cut and polished precious stones, along with several pieces of elaborate jewelry.

_Where the hell did all of this come from?_

His hand itched to stow away some of the treasure, but he stopped himself when he remembered Junko said not to touch anything.

_"Awawawa! Could it be? Are you the "Diamond In The Rough" fated to enter this cave?"_

Hajime jumped, startled at the sudden disembodied high-pitched voice.

"Oh no! Don't be scared, I'm here to help!"

The owner of the voice decided to reveal themselves at that very moment. "I'm Usami...Magical Miracle Girl ★ Usami! I'm an itty bitty girl who's sweet like milk!"

Hajime stared at the thing in front of him. It looked like some weird pink cartoon rabbit with wings, dressed in hearts and frills, holding some sort of glittery moon staff. "Are you... a stuffed animal?"

"That's right! I am a squeezably soft stuffed animal, more specifically, a singing, dancing, talking rabbit mascot!" She twirled around. "And my duty is to assist the human who is permitted to enter this cave!"

"Right..." Hajime made a pained noise. Of _course_ there was now a talking rabbit. "You don't happen to know where I can find a magic lamp now, do you?"

"Kyaah! M-magic lamp?" Usami started sweating. "You're really going straight for that treasure?"

"Yeah, it's what I was sent here to do." Hajime said. Based on what he could tell from Junko, it wouldn't be a good idea to defy her request.

"Uhm... If that's what you wish... But please be careful!" Usami warned him. "That lamp's magic shouldn't be messed with if you don't know how to handle it!"

Nevertheless, she motioned for him to follow her. They went into the furthest reaches of the cave, and eventually came across an area more brightly lit than the other parts of the cave. Water trickled from crystals on the ceiling, which served as some sort of light source by reflecting some of the light outside inward into the cave. The light shone upon a large, carved pillar in the center. On top of said pillar was a shiny, golden lamp, a bear insignia embossed on the side.

Hajime carefully picked up the lamp, half-expecting some sort of trap to activate. When nothing happened, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I've got it. Time to get out of here."

"Alright!" Usami cheered. "I knew you could do it! Mr... Hey, you haven't told me your name yet!" 

"It's Hajime. Hajime Hinata."

"Hajime! It's an honor to have been your assistance!" Usami did a curtsy. 

Unfortunately, her wand hit a stack of coins in the process, knocking them over. A loud, blaring sound echoed throughout the cave as it began to collapse on itself. 

_"Well, crap."_

"Aaaaah! I'm so sorry Hajime!" 

"Apologize later!" Hajime ran as fast as he could, clutching the lamp tightly. "We need to get out now!" 

"Hold on! I'll use my magic stick to help us!" Usami said. " _Miracle Power, Make Up!_ " 

With the wave of her wand, a small sash appeared, looping through the handle of the lamp and tying itself around Hajime's waist so that it won't fall off. The rest of the magic weaved itself into a carpet. _A levitating, flying carpet._

"Hop on, Hajime!"

As soon as he did the carpet zoomed forward at an alarming speed. 

"Hold on tight!" She waved her wand around to direct the carpet around.

"We're almost there!" Usami said. "I can see the entrance!" 

Rocks were falling down faster now, and the carpet swerved sharply more than a few times, almost knocking Hajime off-balance. The floor beneath them was starting to fall away too. 

_Almost there..._

"Usami! Watch out!"

A large boulder fell from the ceiling, and the carpet wasn't fast enough to dodge.

Hajime felt nothing under him for a few split seconds, but before he had time to scream, he realized he wasn't falling. Instead, a weird sort of glow was wrapped around him.

"Grab onto the wall!" Usami was flying in the air, struggling to free the carpet from the boulder it was trapped under, all while using her magic to keep Hajime afloat. "I'll be fine! Just get out of here now!"

Hajime scrambled around until he was able to get a good foothold on the rocks. The cave's entrance was only a few feet above him.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" Junko came into view, standing near the edge. "You had one job! Just one! Now, the entire place is collapsing!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Hajime winced, his grip on the wall starting to weaken. "I got the lamp, don't worry!"

"Now we're talking!" Junko grinned. "Hand it over!"

"W-wait!" Hajime said. "Help me up!"

Junko extended her hand to him and yanked him to the edge. Hajime swore he saw her eyes rolling.

"Okie dokie! Where's the lamp?"

Hajime pulled off the sash, but before he could hand it over, Junko reached out and snatched the lamp from his hands.

"My baby! I've been looking for you everywhere!" She kissed the top of the lamp.

Hajime started pulling himself up, but the dirt loosened, and he slipped, leaving him hanging off the edge.

"Junko! A little help...?"

The blonde-haired girl simply gave him a malicious grin.

"Oh right, we had an agreement, didn't we? Well, too bad! Because I didn't mean a word of it!"

Hajime started to hyperventilate. " _Wha-What?_ "

"Don't get me wrong, I usually keep my promises, but I simply couldn't pass up this opportunity to see this lovely expression on your face! _This despair._ " She cackled evilly. "I hope you come back in the next life with a talent though!"

_"Oh no you don't!"_

A ray of light hit Junko in the face, effectively startling her and causing her to drop the lamp.

"Hey! You little piece of _—_ "

Hajime didn't hear the end of that sentence as he lost his grip and fell, the shock of it all rendering him unconscious.

* * *

" _—jime! Hajime!"_

He jolted awake. Where was he? 

Oh right. Stuck in a dark, damp cave with no way out.

"Phew! I'm glad you're alright!" Usami let out a sigh of relief. "I managed to save you from the fall, but it looks like we're trapped here..."

"Yeah... Whose fault was that again?" Hajime said passive-aggressively.

"I'm sorry...!" Usami cried. "I was only trying to help..."

"Well, to be fair, I could be dead right now if it weren't for you." Hajime said, deciding to pity the poor rabbit. 

_Pity won't get me out of this cave though._

He was naive and stupid. He never should have trusted Junko. 

_"Damn it... DAMN IT!!"_

In his anger, he kicked the lamp, which landed a few feet away from him with a loud _clank_. 

"Awawawa! Hajime, you can't just kick treasures like that!" 

"What does this dumb lamp do anyway?" Hajime picked it up to inspect it. "Why does Junko have such a fixation on it?" 

"I... Huhuhuhu!" Usami cried again. "I'm sorry... I don't actually know what it does..."

_For a self-proclaimed "assistant" you sure don't know a lot._

He rubbed at a dirty spot with the sash. The bear face on the side of the lamp stared back at him.

All of a sudden, the lamp started trembling in his hands.a

"Wha- What the!"

Black and white smoke started rising from the spout of the lamp. 

_"Ahhh-AHAHAHAHAHA!"_

He was currently looking at what appeared to be a _teddy bear_ materializing in front of him, one half white and friendly, the other black and menacing. It left Hajime more convinced than ever that everything that had happened up until now was nothing but some wacky fever dream.

"Why, hello there!" The bear said. "Goddamn, it's been a while! My joints are aching! That lamp isn't the most luxurious living space, you know!"

"Kyaah!" Usami defensively held up her wand. "You! You were in there this entire time?"

"Eww, who the hell let Monomi in here?!"

"M-Monomi?" Hajime stuttered, trying to make sense of the situation.

"That's right! Monomi here is my stupid little sister!" The bear gave the rabbit a hard pat on the back. "And I am Monokuma! The genie of this maaaagical lamp!"

"Hajime, don't listen to him! He's _—_ "

"Before we get down to business, allow me to fix Monomi's outfit. She's just too plain! White rabbits are too plain and boring!" Monokuma said as he hammered her to the floor. "Siblings who love each other very much wouldn't object to matching appearances now, would they? And who said _you_ get to have all the power?" 

He stepped on the wand Usami was holding, snapping it in half.

"Noooo! My magic stick!" Usami struggled against Monokuma's grip. "Aaaagh! Stop!!"

Monokuma punched and poked and prodded at her. By the time he was done, Usa-well, _Monomi_ had taken a drastically different appearance. Similar to Monokuma, the left half of her body was now colored pink, one ear flopped over. Her wings were gone, and her frilly dress was replaced with a baby's diaper. 

"Waaaahhhhh!" Monomi was left bruised and battered on the floor, tied up with the carpet she had conjured up earlier. "What is this...? Change me back to normal!" 

"Upupupupu! You look just like big bro Monokuma!" He laughed. "Alright, I've had my fun, hey, you!" He pointed to Hajime. "Hajime Hinata, wasn't it?"

"How did you..."

"The _how_ doesn't matter, I have magic!" Monokuma waved his hands around. "You're the one who gave the lamp a little wubby-wub right? Ahh, you sure were treating it with care..."

"What the hell, cut it out!" Hajime said. "You, what are you?"

"Are you deaf? I already introduced myself! I am Monokuma, the genie of this lamp!" He repeated. "And by the rules of this lamp, the one who rubs it is entitled to three wishes!"

Hajime blinked. "Three...wishes?"

"Huh, you really are a newbie. Most people already know what their wishes are once they get ahold of me!" Monokuma mused. "Pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once! You only get three Monokuma wishes, so use them wisely! Every time you make one, you have to hold the lamp, give it a nice rub, and say "I wish for yada yada yada"."

"Three... So I can use them however I want?" Hajime asked.

"Of course not! Though my powers are beyond the comprehension of your itty-bitty human brain, they still need to follow a number of set rules. Rule number one: No romance. That's disgusting, and quite frankly, even if it were allowed it would be a waste of a wish. Rule two: You can't wish for someone's death. Simply wishing for someone to die is lazy and boring! If you wanna kill someone, do it yourself!"

_Why would I even want to kill someone!?_ Hajime thought.

"Rule three: You can't resurrect someone who is already dead. I'm a genie, not Jesus. Finally, rule four: You can't wish for more wishes! I swear, the number of people who have tried to wish that is absolutely des-bearing!"

"Hajime!" Monomi decided to speak up. "Don't let this meanie fool you! The wishes come wi _—_ Aaaah!"

Monokuma began slapping her again. "Didn't I tell you to shut up? Your voice is so annoying! Ora! Oraoraoraoroa!"

"Kyaah! Stop!"

Hajime sighed. Monomi and Monokuma's bickering didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. "So besides the things stated in the rules, anything else is okay?"

"Yep, now hurry up and make your first wish! I've dawdled on for long enough!"

Hajime looked at his surroundings. "Well, for obvious reasons, I'd like to get out of here..."

"No need to ask him for that!" Monomi said. "I can get us out of here by myself...!" 

"Puhuhu, no you can't!" Monokuma laughed. "Outta the way, you're gonna ruin my magic trick!"

Monokuma let out a loud battle cry, fireworks and sparks coming from his paws, and in a bright flash of light, they were all outside in the desert, sitting under the shade of a small hut.

"See, this is miles better than anything Monomi could do!" Monokuma sipped on a coconut. "Alright! That's one wish down! Two left!"

"No, that's wrong." Hajime said. "I technically didn't _wish_ anything yet."

"Nope, nope! I heard it loud and clear!" Monokuma objected. "I asked you for your first wish, and your response _was_ the wish!"

"Yeah, but I didn't rub the lamp."

"..."

A beat of silence passed, then Monokuma punched Monomi yet again.

"Oww! What was that for!"

"I'm mad at Hajime for getting away with a free wish, but in his defense, it was a clever move, so I decided to redirect my anger at you!"

"I don't wanna be your punching bag!"

"Arrgh!" Monokuma summoned a knife and pointed it at Monomi, effectively silencing her. "Anyway, tutorial's over! No more freebies!"

Hajime took a deep breath. Three wishes... He needed to think about this one properly. He could have everything he never had: food, shelter, safety, good clothes... and yet, there were tons of other things he wanted to do too...

_Why is this so hard...!_

"Having trouble deciding?" Monokuma suddenly appeared behind him.

"Gah!" Hajime almost fell off the chair he was sitting on. "Don't scare me like that!" 

Monokuma frowned. "Jeez, so jumpy. I was just about to offer a suggestion! But it seems like you're no longer interested _—"_

"Okay, okay, what is it?"

"My super-spidey-bear senses tell me that not only are you an orphan, you're also talentless! Upupupu, if I were you, my wish in that situation would be very obvious."

Hajime raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

"To wish for a talent, of course! Wish to have every talent in existence while you're at it!" Monokuma grinned. 

"I—You can do that?" 

"Weren't you listening? I said as long as it doesn't violate the rules, anything is fair game!"

"Wouldn't Hope's Peak get suspicious though?" Hajime questioned. "For someone to have every talent in existence—That's impossible!"

"That's the _point_." Monokuma rolled his eyes. "I can make the impossible possible! And if you're so worried about Hope's Peak finding out you can just _lie_. They'll eat that shit right up if it came from the Ultimate Everything!"

Hajime shook his head. "A wish like that though, I couldn't possibly—"

"Ugh, you complain too much! You have the choice to become a literal demigod at your fingertips and you decide to have a morality crisis. You aren't seeing the bigger picture! Do you really wish to continue living as a worthless, talentless piece of trash?" Monokuma said angrily. 

Hajime stared at the ground. "...No."

"Surely you have something to prove, someone to impress?"

His mind goes back to white locks of hair.

_Nagito_. 

This... This could be it. This could be his chance to talk to him again. 

_No... Not just that._

What was he thinking? This is finally his chance to turn things around. He can finally _be_ something. He can finally have nights where he can rest easy without having to worry about food or shelter, or wondering if he'd live to see the next day. He wouldn't have to worry anymore about discrimination. About being seen as nothing. He... He could have _friends_... 

_I... I can finally be someone I can be proud of._

Hajime steeled his resolve. Monokuma was right; the answer was obvious. 

He picked up the lamp and gave it a rub. 

_"I wish to be... **The Ultimate Everything**."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is appreciated! ^^


	3. Chapter 3

"Puhuhu! Now we're getting somewhere!"

"Hajime..." Monomi whimpered. "Are you absolutely sure about this? You can't take a wish back once you make it!" 

Monokuma groaned. "Do you always have to be such a killjoy Monomi? Anyway, here goes nothing! Bippity-boppity-boo!"

Monokuma clapped his hands together. Shimmering sparkles surrounded Hajime, and the light became so intense he squinted his eyes shut.

Monokuma whistled as the brightness dissipated. "Hoo! Ya better thank me, because I just gave you one hell of a glow-up!"

Hajime opened his eyes, and Monokuma gestured to a mirror in the hut. 

He could barely recognize himself. Gone was the brown spiky hair he was so used to seeing on himself. Instead, long, silky, smooth black tresses cascaded from the top of his head all the way to the floor. His eyes were bright crimson instead of olive green, and his tanned skin became a few shades paler. His raggedy clothes were replaced by a crisp, clean suit, one that looked quite expensive.

"Awawawa! Is that still you Hajime?" Monomi asked.

"First off, this marks a new beginning for you!" Monokuma said. "Because of that, you are no longer Hajime Hinata!"

Hajime's eyes widened. "What? 

"Hajime Hinata is the name of a talentless loser! We don't want that now, do we? Your new name is... Izuru Kamukura!"

"Izuru... Kamukura." Hajime tested the name. It felt weird to say, let alone be called that, but Monokuma had a point. He wouldn't want to be recognized by the Royal Guard after all. "I guess it's not so bad."

Monokuma seemed pleased. "Alright Izuru! Now, onto the actual talents!"

Monokuma put his hands—well, _paws_ —on Hajime's head, giving his skull a strong _zap_.

"Ow! Hey, wh—ow!"

_Zap! Zap! Zappity-zap!_

"That should do it!" The bear hopped to the ground. "Now, it's training time!"

"Training?"

"Of course! No use in having all the talents if you can't use all of them simultaneously at once!"

Hajime choked. "All at once??"

"Upupupu!"

Out of nowhere, hundreds of missiles, spears, arrows, and other projectiles were hurled in Hajime's direction.

_Move!_

Hajime didn't think. He just moved. 

And was somehow able to dodge everything without even thinking about it. 

"Whoa..." He stared at his hands. "I... Actually did that?" 

No response from Monokuma came, and then—

_Behind him._

Monokuma ran at Hajime at full force holding a sword, clearly with the intent to kill, but Hajime saw it coming from a mile away.

_This... This is amazing!_

He launched himself off the ground, doing a backflip and disarming Monokuma. 

"Not bad, but it doesn't end there!" Monokuma rubbed his paws together. "Now, I order you to make me a sandwich!"

They trained and trained until the next morning. Hajime had been tasked with a very vigorous training exercise for athletes, which included 100 laps around the perimeter of the kingdom and having to do gymnastics every other lap. Next was trying his hand at all the instruments Monokuma could summon, eventually culminating in a rather ridiculous one-man band. Then came drawing, pottery, cooking, cleaning, and much, _much_ more than Hajime could recall. Having all the talents known to man apparently also meant becoming borderline superhuman and not needing as much sleep as any regular person would. By the time they were done, Hajime had only barely broken a sweat. 

"Very well, you have done quite excellently for a beginner, I do say!" Monokuma beamed. "Keep this in mind though, even after all this training, it's still gonna take a while for you to make use of all your talents. Think of it as levels in a video game; you unlock each one the further you progress. It certainly helps to have a teacher as wonderful as yours truly!"

Hajime nodded. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

"Now, one last review! What is your cover story?"

Hajime recited the backstory he had come up with. "I am Prince Izuru Kamukura from the Kingdom of Jabberwock. My parents died when I was a young boy, leaving their 8-year-old son to fend for himself and inherit the throne. Their dying wish was for me to venture to the distant Kingdom of Hope's Peak someday, so that my supernatural aptitude for talent may be recognized."

"P-Prince Izuru?" Monomi stuttered. "That's such a blatant lie! What happens when they ask him for more details about his kingdom?"

"Why do you care about that? That's his problem now!" Monokuma whacked Monomi with a stick. "Though, It would barely be a problem for someone like him! Anyhoo—Ready up, pretty boy! We gotta make sure your debut is magnificent!"

* * *

"Sonia, have you found him yet?" Chiaki called out.

The crown princess shook her head. "I've already checked the courtyards, his room, and the library. I also asked Yukizome-sensei and everyone I ran into. No sign of him anywhere."

"Dammit!" Kazuichi said. "Where the hell did that guy run off to?"

"My Four Dark Devas detect no sign of his presence here in the castle." Gundham shook his head. "It's either he is hiding very well, or he has left the castle grounds altogether." 

"Again?" Sonia said worriedly. 

Chiaki sighed. "You know, you guys don't have to be so hard on him, you know? He's been through a lot."

"Don't be so hard on him my ass!" Kazuichi said. "He was planning to blow up the _gym! And,_ he almost got two of our senpais kicked out!"

"Kazuichi is right. He was very deserving of the scolding from the elder Kirigiri-san, Muntakata-san, and Sakakura-san." Gundham added.

"I already talked to him about that." Chiaki said. "He said he wanted to give everyone a break from school."

"By making the gym go kaboom?"

The pink-haired girl frowned. "He had good intentions, even if his ways were... a little messed up. Class 78th had been emotionally and mentally exhausted ever since Makoto Naegi was kidnapped last week by somebody claiming to be the "Ultimate Despair". He just wanted to do them a favor; Nagito is really fond of Naegi-kun after all." 

"Right, speaking of which, Naegi-kun is alright now, correct?" Sonia asked.

Chiaki nodded. "Kirigiri-san found him in a dumpster almost three days after, hungry, dirty, tired, but thankfully unharmed. He wasn't able to identify his kidnapper though. He said he was blindfolded the whole time, and the attacker was using a voice changer."

"Okay, okay, we're getting off-topic!" Kazuichi cut in. "Where else could he have gone?"

"Let's check the town square once more. Perhaps he—"

"Oh, you were looking for me?"

The four of them turned around to find a soaking wet Nagito Komaeda, clothes drenched with what smelled like pond water. 

"Lemme guess, you tripped and fell into a pond." Kazuichi groaned.

"Nope! Actually, someone was testing out their new invention, then it accidentally sent me flying into the air, then I landed in a tree, and just as I was untangling myself from the branches, a weak branch broke and I fell into the pond!"

Chiaki sighed. "Of course you did."

"Ah, but don't worry about it!" Nagito smiled. "The tradeoff for all of that was this!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something. It was a small pin with emeralds cut to resemble a four-leaf clover. 

"That is a rather pretty pin." Sonia mused. 

"Indeed, however that pin will not save you from trouble, Prince of Luck." Gundham shook his head. "As acting rulers, we are expected to be ones _preventing_ trouble, not causing it."

"Yeah!" Kazuichi pointed an accusing finger at him. "Look man! We're gonna be the ones blamed if anything happened to you! So do us a favor and at least tell us where the hell you're going! And you can't leave for so long either! You gotta help us here in the castle too, you know!"

"Alright, alright." Nagito said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to shower and change my clothes. Standing here soaking wet might just get me sick!"

Chiaki gave him a concerned look. "Mikan is always there to help in case you do. I can help you out too if you need it!"

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to worry anyone else more than I need to!" The white-haired boy then left for his room.

Sonia gave a displeased hum. "He really does need to take better care of himself. I'm really concerned for him."

Gundham gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Do not fret, my Dark Queen. Nagito does not lie about his luck, it does serve to keep him out of mortal danger most of the time."

"C'mon guys," Kazuichi held out his hands for his lovers to take. "We still have some stuff to do. We don't wanna make Mr. Sakakura more mad than he already is."

"I'll see you guys later then." Chiaki waved them goodbye as they parted ways.

Meanwhile, down the hallways, Nagito Komaeda sat in a large, empty room, fresh from his shower and reading a book by the window side. The pages were slightly worn from constant reading; this particular book was one of his favorites. The story told of a young man who had magic that he couldn't control, let alone use. The protagonist then set off on a journey of self-discovery to understand and wield his powers properly. Along the way, he met another magic-user who had studied everything there was to know about the subject and agreed to take the protagonist in as an apprentice to train him. Eventually, the two develop feelings for one another and expectedly get married at the end.

Nagito closed the book with a sigh. Fantasy stories were always a delight to read, but every now and then the hopeless romantic in him craved for mindless fluff. 

_Oh, to be loved like that..._

He shook his head. Fiction was fiction for a reason. Fiction allowed one to indulge in a temporary distraction to draw their mind away from the horrid thing called the real world. That's all it was: meaningless, sentimental indulgence. Nagito knew all too well that his luck would act up before he could even fathom the idea of a long-lasting loving relationship. 

His stomach grumbled. He had skipped lunch after all, perhaps it was a good idea for him to eat.

Just as he stood up, his ears picked up on a distant _boom, boom, boom_. He recognized it as the beat of a loud drum. 

More specifically, the one used to signal the arrival of a noble visitor in the kingdom. 

_That_ certainly got his attention. Hope's Peak wasn't expecting a visitor of any sort recently.

He quickly made his way to the balcony at the front of the castle, which gave a bird's eye view of the entire kingdom. A few of the others were also gathered up there. 

"Damn, whoever decided to barge in is really extra." Hiyoko snickered. "Who the hell visits a place bringing a whole ass parade?"

"It would seem that they're trying to win the favor of the crowd." Gundham pointed to a dark-haired figure perched atop what seemed to be a large parade float. They looked like they were tossing out gold coins to some of the Reserves watching on the streets, giving a wave every now and then.

Kazuichi frowned at the person on the ground. "Dunno about you, but he looks kinda weird..."

"That's not very nice to say." Chiaki said, but she wasn't even looking. She was instead playing with some sort of new invention, most likely from Miu Iruma of Class 79, who he heard had requested for the Ultimate Gamer to try out her latest innovation in handheld gaming. 

"Well, this may be an unexpected visitor, but we still have to greet them with our full hospitality!" Sonia grabbed onto Kazuichi's and Gundham's arms. "Shall we?"

Even more people were gathered in the courtyard. Classes were just dismissed, so quite a few students were there sitting and watching the odd parade.

"Your Majesty." Nekomaru Nidai, who was now the new head guard, bowed. Even though Sonia preferred her friends to address her casually, they all came to a collective agreement to be formal with each other in public. "I apologize for the sudden notice. They appeared out of nowhere."

"That is quite alright." Sonia said. "Though, who exactly are they?"

"We don't have a clue. When we asked, a weird bear thing popped out and told us to "wait for the big reveal'. Me and Nekomaru are ready to attack in case anything happens, because this is really suspicious!" Akane Owari assumed a defensive stance.

Junko Enoshima twirled her way to their side. "Seems like we have a guest! Hmm, hmm, the vibes they're giving don't spell out danger, and our guest is unarmed too. Though, arriving on such short notice doesn't rub right with me." 

"We can't be too careful!" Akane said.

"Of course! Of course, who am I kidding?" Junko laughed. "Mukuroooooo! This is your area of expertise, come here! And defend your precious imouto!"

The girl let out a sigh and stood in front of Junko, effectively guarding her. Nagito sometimes felt bad for the older sister. 

"Greetings and Salutations!" The "bear thing" Akane mentioned bounced from the top of the float to the ground.

"Are you... a robot of some sort?" Nagito asked.

"I am not a robot! I am Monokuma!" The monochromatic bear yelled. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, right! Allow me to welcome Prince Izuru Kamukura from the Kingdom of Jabberwock!"

_Prince...?_

The prince gracefully landed on the ground from the top of the float, inky black locks swishing around him. "It is an honor to be here." 

The two princes made eye contact. Red eyes bore into gray ones, staring intently and full of interest.

_Something about that gaze..._

Nagito's cheeks heated slightly. _He certainly didn't mind dying right then and there on the spot._

* * *

Hajime spent a good ten seconds not saying anything, instead deciding to stare back at the flabbergasted Royal Court, totally-not-focusing on their white-haired prince and the way his cheeks pinkened when they made eye contact. 

Monokuma coughed rather loudly. "Uhhh, _Your Royal Highness_??"

"Oh, um..." Hajime straightened up, putting on an air of formality. Luckily for him, the talent of Ultimate Writer meant that there was now a whole new library of words in his head for him to use, hopefully making conversing with literal royalty easier. "I am Prince Izuru Kamukura from the Kingdom of Jabberwock. My... _father_ heard that Hope's Peak was the pioneer of talent research, and his dying wish was for me to venture there to seek help in unlocking the full potential of my own talent."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Sonia bowed politely. "I do hope you enjoy your stay here in our kingdom! We shall give you a tour around when we can!"

Gundham nodded in agreement. "For now, may we invite our guest over to dinner? Our chef only serves the best after all."

"The famed Ultimate Cook, Teruteru Hanamura, if I'm not mistaken?" Hajime asked. He made sure to search up on all the students and alumni of Hope's Peak as well as all of their documented talents. "Then, it would be my pleasure to."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on!" Junko interrupted. "Simply inviting a stranger over to your home is no good, Sonia-sama! What if he was plotting to kill us all?"

Hajime gave a tight smile. He had tried his best to ignore the woman who might as well have killed him if not for Monomi and Monokuma, but it seems that interaction can't be helped. "I come bearing no harm, Enoshima-san. Surely your Ultimate Analyst skills have determined that already."

Junko gave him a scrutinizing look.

"Now now, there's no need to act scary to one another." Kazuichi said. "We are here to make friends, not enemies!"

"Don't worry, don't worry! It was just a joke!" Junko laughed. 

_A crude one, at that..._

"Ha-uh-Izuru!" Monomi stumbled into view. "You guys left me stuck back there!"

"Oh, who is this?" Sonia asked. 

"I am—"

"This is my little sister Monomi!" Monokuma shoved the poor rabbit aside. "She works as Kamukura-sama's maid!"

"M-Maid?" Monomi gasped. "Why am I the maid?"

Hajime gave her a light kick, signaling her to play along.

"I-I mean, yes! I work as Izuru's maid!"

"Ah, I see. I do hope you enjoy your stay here!" Sonia smiled at Monomi. "Now, if you'll allow me, I'd like to give you a quick tour of the castle while we wait for the food to be prepared!"

"Have fun _Kamukura-sama!"_ Monokuma grabbed Monomi by the ear. "C'mon now, Monomi! We still have to take care of his majesty's luggage!"

"What lug—Ow!" She was dragged away as Sonia took Hajime around the first floor.

The castle was way bigger than his first assumption. Instead of being overly fancy, whoever designed the interior opted for a clean, minimalist look. The hallways were mainly off-white wood, with dark green and red accents to bring a bit of color into the room. The ceiling was high up, this particular side covered in glass panels to let the light of the setting sun in. The chandeliers hung up were already lit, the bright ambience adding to the appeal of the castle. To the side of the grand hall was another lineup of rooms, each one having a plaque with a picture, name, and its own personality to it.

"These are the Ultimates' Research Labs!" Sonia proudly presented. "Every Ultimate here has or has had one of these rooms to practice and develop their talent! Hope's Peak makes sure each room is tailored to the need of each person. Even when two people share a talent, such as Kirigiri-san and one of our newest, Saihara-kun, they are still different people, meaning different ways of improving, and thus different rooms!"

"I see." Hajime said. "That is... interesting."

"I assume you're planning on staying for a bit, so we'll have your room constructed too in no time!"

"Ah... haha... Miss Sonia?" Kazuichi peeped from around the corner. "We, uh, have a bit of a problem here—"

An elephant ran through the hallway at an alarming speed, faster than what it normally would have been capable of, followed by a large group of tortoises scrambling across the floor as fast as a mouse. 

Gundham ran after them. "Detain them, my Four Dark Devas!"

"AVRILAVIGNEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The Ultimate Cook followed, being chased himself by a pack of dogs. "They consumed my Gotta-Go-Fast Gumbo! This is a disaster!" 

"If you'll excuse me—aah!"

Sonia yelped as a cat ran past her, splashing her dress with what seemed to be juice.

"I'm terribly sorry for this! Don't worry, I'll have this resolved as soon as possible!"

The queen ran off, leaving Hajime standing alone in the hall. 

_Well, not totally alone._

"I know you're here. No use in spying on me."

"Heh, heh, very impressive!" Nagito came out from behind a wall. "Though, I wouldn't expect less from a mysterious stranger such as yourself!"

Hajime took another glance back at Nagito. Though silent, he had been following and watching their entire conversation this whole time, which was a little creepy in its own right, but if Hajime was being honest with himself he'd probably be curious too if their roles were swapped. 

"Well as I mentioned earlier, I am a man of many talents, and I wish to understand them all." Hajime said, assessing Nagito's appearance. Well-dressed, but casual in comparison to the formal clothes the rest were wearing. "Your talent, good luck, is it? I... probably have that too."

Nagito shook his head. "I sincerely doubt that. Calling what I have "good luck" is definitely sugarcoating it. It's not that simple."

Hajime didn't know what else to say. Luck as a talent was the most obscure topic in Hope's Peak's database from what he could gather. Only two individuals so far had luck significant enough to be observed and recorded, and even then there was barely an answer to _why_ exactly it happens. 

"Oh, where are my manners! We haven't even been formally introduced and I'm already here rambling about my problems." Nagito stuck a hand out, which Hajime shook. "I am Prince Nagito Komaeda, a rather distant relative of Sonia-san's."

"You already know my name I guess, you were there when I introduced myself after all." Hajime said, awkwardness filling the air rather quickly.

"Nagito? Oh, wait, I should probably call you Komaeda—" 

"No! I mean, uh, Nagito is fine! I don't mind!"

"Right... You can let go of my hand now, by the way."

"Huh?" He looked genuinely confused. 

"This is a handshake, you're supposed to let go afterwards."

Nagito looked down at their linked hands. "Oh."

He quickly let go and took a step backwards. "Haha, I'm sorry that you had to hold my disgusting hand for longer than necessary..."

_Still as self-deprecating as the day I met him._

"You aren't disgusting. On the contrary, you're... one of the most interesting people I've met."

_Crap. Was that too forward? As far as he knows we only met just now!_

"If you weren't a stranger I'd think you're joking, Kamukura-sama!" He laughed airily. "There's nothing particularly interesting about me."

"You've _definitely_ got that wrong. There's plenty of things interesting about you..." Hajime looked him in the eye. "In fact, I'd like to know more about you, if that's okay."

_Keep it cool Hajime._

Nagito fidgeted. "Well, hah, if that is what Kamukura-sama wishes then who am I to deny him? I promise I'll do my best to entertain you!" 

_That's a weird way of putting it, but it's a start_... 

"You don't have to address me so formally you know. We're pretty much of equal status."

_In fact, you're actually above me. Way above me._

"Absolutely not! A greasy little bug like me simply can't compare to your radiance!" Nagito said. "But if you really want... Would Kamukura-kun be alright?"

Hajime let himself smile. 

"Most definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave feedback! I feel like my characterization of Kazuichi and Gundham is off here, so I apologize if that's the case! Still trying to write characters other than Nagito and Hajime properly lmao.


	4. Chapter 4

Dinner was an absolute delight. Hanamura was more than happy to serve. He mostly made idle chat, with Hajime helping himself to all the kusamochi he could eat. Nagito entertained him with all kinds of topics, mostly about the misadventures of his luck and a few of the books he recently read. It seemed that Nagito read so much that it could put his (currently unused) talent of Ultimate Librarian to shame. 

After dinner, Gundham had led him to a large, luxurious guest room, located in the same building as the student dorms. It was roughly five times bigger than the last house Hajime remembered living in. Inside, he found that the lamp was already there. Either Monokuma or Monomi must have brought it in. The guest room also contained a huge bathroom, complete with a bathtub and various soaps, creams, and oils. The bathroom was connected to a walk-in closet that had several sets of clothes his size for all occasions, from formal wear to sleepwear.

Hajime then treated himself to a long, relaxing bath. He made use of most of the toiletries provided to care for his new long silky hair and porcelain skin. He soon found out that as smooth as his hair was, it took a while to wash, and was a pain to dry and brush out. 

He had almost gotten it completely dry when the lid of the lamp popped off.

"So? Enjoying your new royal life so far?" Monokuma asked. 

"It's a definite upgrade from living in the streets." Hajime flopped onto the bed and let himself relax. It was almost like lying down on a cloud. "The people in the palace seem nice too, but..."

"But?"

"I completely forgot about Junko Enoshima." Hajime said. "Monokuma, what if she catches on to me?"

"Nah, you'll be fine!" Monokuma said nonchalantly. "I'm bear-y sure that you have a talent or two that covers that."

Suddenly, the lamp's lid fell off and Monomi tumbled into the room.

"Oww, it's so tight in there! How do you even stay inside?"

Monokuma rolled his eyes. "You complain too much! You better get used to it, because you're bound to the lamp too!" 

"What?" Monomi's eyes widened in fear. "What do you mean?"

"You really are stupid, huh? Are you forgetting your job? Your duty was to guide the human who found this lamp, correct? So that means you're stuck here with me until the next person gets this thing!"

"Noooooo! I don't want to stick with you for that long!" The rabbit cried.

Monokuma covered his ears. "God, your voice is enough to make my plush ears bleed! I'm going back to my lamp, and since Monomi dislikes the lamp _sooooo_ much, I'm leaving you here outside for tonight! Puhuhu, maybe the royal chef might make rabbit udon out of you once you annoy the royal court as well!"

"Wait...!"

The lamp's lid shut tight. No matter what Monomi did, she couldn't get it open.

"Ughhhh, Why does he have to hate me so much!"

Annoying as she may be, Hajime couldn't help but feel bad. "Is... there no way to free yourself from him? You seemed to be doing fine on your own before we discovered the lamp."

"I was, but I made a mistake even getting close to him." She wiped her eyes. "Since he broke my magic stick, I have to rely now on the lamp to give me power, and even then I can't really do anything because he hogs all of the magic!" 

"Is there really nothing you can do?"

"The only person who has more power over Monokuma is the master of this lamp, so the only way I'll ever be freed from Monokuma's grip is if the master uses a wish on me, but I can't possibly ask that from you, Izuru!"

Hajime thought carefully. "Honestly, being the Ultimate Everything is already more than what I wished for. I don't mind using my last wish to free you."

"R-Really?" Monomi asked. "That's... so nice of you..."

Hajime gave her a light pat on the head. "I'm going to bed now, so goodnight."

"Okay! Sweet dreams!"

* * *

Hajime woke up bright and early the next morning. He showered and put on the clothes conveniently provided for him. They were rather similar to what Nagito wore: casual, but befitting royalty. 

Hajime took a glance at the spot near the window. After being banned from entering the lamp last night, Monomi had decided to sleep there instead. Currently, no one was there, and the lamp's lid was slightly ajar. There was no sign of either the bear or the rabbit outside of the lamp either. 

_Good, that means they're both in there._

He arranged the pillows on his bed and slipped the lamp underneath. He might have been a bit paranoid, but he couldn't risk his secret getting out. 

_Better safe than sorry..._

He stared at the spot for a bit, before positioning another pillow on top of it.

_Enough of that now, time for breakfast._

Hajime had only barely opened the door when he saw gray-green eyes staring back at him.

"Nagito?" He asked, trying to seem unfazed by the unexpected appearance. 

"Perfect timing! I was just about to go check if you were already awake!" The other smiled. "I may or may not have volunteered to be Kamukura-kun's tour guide, hehe—"

"I-I see." Hajime said, failing to prevent himself from stuttering. He was planning to talk more to Nagito, but for him to be the one to take initiative...

_How lucky could I get to have him as my literal tour guide???_

"Oh, Kamukura-kun hasn't eaten breakfast yet, right? I shouldn't stop you!"

"You're free to join me." Hajime said. "If you want to, that is."

"Whatever Kamukura-kun wants!"

Delicious smells wafted from the kitchen as they took a seat at a small table, a little to the side of the grand dining table they ate at last night. 

"Mouthwatering, isn't it?" Nagito mused. "Hanamura-kun also cooks for the school cafeteria when he has the time to!"

From the sheer assortment of food being served, Hajime was pretty sure today was one of those days. He ended up getting a bit of everything, balancing toast, sausages, eggs, pancakes, and more on his plate. Hajime noticed Nagito didn't get anything save for a cup of coffee.

"Aren't you hungry?" He asked. "Or did you already eat?"

Nagito shook his head. "It's fine! I'm not really that hungry!"

Almost reflexively, Hajime's Ultimate Analyst talent assessed his tone and body language to check if Nagito was being truthful.

_Nagito was thin_. Hajime noticed. _Unhealthily so too..._

He started noticing the other details too, like how his pale skin looked sickly in the bright light of the morning sun, or how he was wearing long sleeves despite the temperature in the room being on the much warmer side. His hair, although seemingly fluffy, was matted and tangled upon closer inspection.

_Does he... Not take care of himself?_

He forced his brain to stop overthinking it and slid a plate of eggs and toast over to him. "It's not really any of my business, but it looks like you could eat more."

Nagito looked perplexed, but he hesitantly pulled the plate closer and started eating. "Kamukura-kun doesn't have to be so concerned about me... but thank you."

They ate the rest of their food in relative silence. Nagito finished up first and stood up. "I'm ready to go whenever Kamukura-kun is!"

Hajime finished his food too, and Nagito led him outside and to the school building. From there, Hajime got a better picture of the layout of Hope's Peak. The entire area seemed to be diamond-shaped, with the castle at the north side, the dormitories to the west, and the school to the east. Opposite the castle was the gate, and beyond that were the other villages and the marketplace.

"This is the academia part of the castle compound, aptly titled "Hope's Peak Academy"!" Nagito said, gesturing to a building almost as big as the castle itself. "As you might know already, the purpose of this school is to train the Ultimates to hone their talents and to become symbols of hope themselves!"

Well, at least Hajime can confirm the namesake of this place.

They went through the entrance and into the main hallway. It was still rather early in the morning, so Hajime expected most of the students to be in class. 

_"Watch out!"_

A baseball that he very narrowly dodged proved him wrong.

"Oh damn, sorry about that!" A boy with messy red hair apologized and quickly retrieved the ball before going on his way.

He noticed other students roaming around too, some wearing the prescribed uniform and others simply wearing whatever they wanted. 

"Although Hope's Peak does offer a proper academic curriculum, the typical lessons are mostly supplementary, as class attendance isn't required as long as you keep practicing your talent!"

"That sounds counterproductive though. Why establish a school when the students don't need to attend class?" Hajime asked.

"Because sitting around all day learning useless information is simply a waste of time!" Nagito said. "Simply put, the students at this academy usually only learn what they need to, and they're free to leave once things get boring!"

_I guess that makes sense._

"But, Yukizome-sensei proposed last year to have a set amount of mandatory school days for team building, socializing, friendships, and whatnot. Nothing is official quite yet, but it motivated most to at least spend time with their friends and classmates. Nanami-san is actually in charge of managing a lot of recreational activities for the students!"

"Sounds like fun..." Hajime commented. Not like he'd personally know, but it was nice to think that they're going the extra mile to make sure everyone enjoys school.

_I've never actually finished school... It's a good thing my wish took care of that._

Nagito continued showing him around the place, pointing out how the dorms, school building, and castle were all connected through a system of long hallways. Despite reading up on the school prior to his arrival, he was amazed at the sheer size of it and all of the facilities offered. From professional science labs to a rec room to a dojo to a greenhouse twice the size of the already-large gym, it was no mystery that a lot of money was required to fund the entire thing. 

"Nagito, may I ask a question?"

"Of course, Kamukura-kun!"

Hajime looked at the indoor Olympic-sized pool in front of him, a brown-haired girl doing laps in the water. 

"Is this where all of the so-called "Reserve" money goes?"

"Astute observation! But of course someone as great as you figured it out!" Nagito said as if he told him a groundbreaking discovery instead of a question. "That's all they're good for anyway, but they should be considered lucky to be stepping stones for hope!"

The implications of that made Hajime uncomfortable. The Reserves were nothing but cash cows for Hope's Peak?

Before they could continue the topic, the lunch bell rang, and the students who actually decided to stay in class poured out from the classrooms.

"Oh, it seems that it's already lunch! Let's go eat something, Kamukura-kun!"

Unsurprisingly, the cafeteria was already full of people by the time they arrived. Hajime ended up getting himself a bowl of katsudon and a box of orange juice while Nagito thankfully got something more substantial than what he initially had for breakfast, opting for some miso soup and a small chicken teriyaki bento box. 

"Where to sit, where to sit..." Nagito glanced around the room. Hajime had actually already found a few potential spots thanks to his enhanced senses, but before he could say anything Nagito was already tugging on his sleeve. 

"Just my luck, there's a spot right there!"

They took an empty table near the wall, right next to another table where four other people sat: a blonde girl with music note hairclips wearing a pink vest, who was talking to another girl with peach-colored hair and pink eyes; right across them were a blue-haired boy wearing a black, billed cap, and a short, purple-haired boy with a checkered scarf. Tuning in to their conversation, Hajime could hear them talking about school festival plans for next month. 

Nagito waved to the girl with peach-colored hair. "Nanami-san! It's a pleasant surprise to see you here!"

_This must be the "Nanami-san" Nagito was talking about._

"Nagito, who's your new emo friend over there?" Asked the purple-haired boy.

"Kokichi!" The blonde girl slapped him on the shoulder. "You can't just ask people that!"

"It's nice to see you too Nagito." The other girl's head turned to Hajime. "Oh, Kamukura-kun, right? Sonia said you're gonna be staying a while to help develop your talents. I'm Chiaki Nanami, the Ultimate Gamer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nanami-san."

She smiled softly. "I work here at the school, so in case you need help with something I'd be happy to help out!"

"Kamukura... Does that mean you're the visitor who arrived yesterday?" The boy with the hat asked.

Hajime nodded. "Yeah. My name is Izuru Kamukura, and well, I pretty much have all the known talents." He smiled somewhat sheepishly. "It's a mystery, I know, but I came here to Hope's Peak to try and figure it out."

"Really, that's so cool!" The purple-haired boy said. "Hey, hey, is Ultimate Mind Reader one of your talents? Try guessing our names and talents!"

Hajime broke out into a cold sweat. "I actually haven't mastered the use of them all yet, so I can't really make a 100 percent accurate guess. That being said..." Hajime thought long and hard. "You're the Ultimate Supreme Leader, he's the Ultimate Detective, and she's the Ultimate Pianist."

They were all rendered speechless for a bit, then the Ultimate Supreme Leader grinned.

"Hmm, good guesses, good guesses, but you are absolutely wrong!"

_Huh?? But he was so sure of that..._

"Neeheehee, I am actually the Ultimate Phantom Thief! Nice try though!" He said. 

The Ultimate Pianist sighed. "Don't mind him, lying is like breathing to him. You'll get used to it soon enough! Oh, right, we haven't introduced ourselves!" She told them. "I'm Kaede Akamatsu, a freshman student here, and, as you know, the Ultimate Pianist."

"I'm Shuichi Saihara, Hope's Peak's second Ultimate Detective. It's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Kokichi Ouma! Everyone's beloved Ultimate Supreme Leader!" 

Nagito tugged on his sleeve and whispered in his ear. "They may seem like an odd bunch, but they can be really helpful if you ask them nicely! I'm sure they can help you with honing your talent!"

Hajime wanted to laugh at the irony of someone like Nagito calling others "odd".

"You guys have time to spare, right?" Kokichi asked. "Why don't I share the story of how I almost managed to trump the Ultimate Yakuza himself?"

"Oh, I remember that one!" Nagito said happily. "Although I remember it ended in Pekoyama-san chasing you across the school with her sword. She would have definitely given you a beating if Ishimaru-kun didn't intervene!"

Kokichi glared at Nagito for a split second before suddenly bursting into tears. "Wahhh! Let me have fun telling stories for once!"

"Maybe you should add storytelling to the list of honest things you should do for once. Then someone might consider listening." Shuichi said.

"Where's the fun in that? C'mon Shumai, you know real life is super boring if you don't throw in a few things to spice it up a bit!" Kokichi rolled his eyes. After seeing that Shuichi was paying no mind to him and had resumed eating, he began poking his cheek. "Hey, don't ignore me Shuichi! If you ignore me I'll get sad and cry... Shuichi? Shuichi! Shuichiiiiiiiiiiiiii~"

Hajime simply just watched the two annoy each other until the bell rang. 

"There's the bell! We better get going guys!" Kaede said. 

"Neeheehee, it was nice meeting ya, Mr. Kamukura!" Kokichi waved as they went back to the classrooms. 

"We've already seen all of the school, so we should return to the castle." Nagito said. "Unless Kamukura-kun wishes to stay for a bit longer?"

"Hmm." Hajime thought for a while. There was still the entire afternoon, and Hajime couldn't really imagine spending it cooped up in the castle. Of course, he was by no means restricted to the castle and could very much venture out on his own, but it wasn't like the world outside the castle was new to him. Spending the afternoon alone would be... boring.

"What do you usually do in the afternoon?"

"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Kamukura-kun is asking me? I don't think my afternoon routine is really that interesting..."

"Nagito, please answer the question."

"Well, not much actually... To be honest, I avoid going out and about as much as possible." Nagito said. "I just stay in either my room or the library." 

"Do you mind if I go with you then?" Hajime asked.

"Y-You want to come with me to the library?" Nagito stammered. "Haha, does Kamukura-kun have nothing better to do than to stay with trash like me?"

Hajime frowned. Alas, a conversation with Nagito almost always seemed to contain self-deprecation.

He was determined to change that.

He immediately started walking away.

"Kamukura-kun? Where are you going?"

"Library. Feel free to join me." He slowed down his walking, and soon enough he heard footsteps following right behind him. 

The school library spanned two floors, an archive containing more important documents occupying most of the second floor. Dusty books lined the shelves, all of them kept in good condition, not a smudge or tear in sight. In fact, quite a few of these books were unopened, and some even still wrapped in plastic. Hajime noticed that Nagito had already gone on and selected a book, sitting down on one of the plush beanbags on the floor. Hajime took a moment to scan the entire catalogue of books, as well as some of the story summaries; it would look suspicious after all if someone with "Ultimate Writer" as a talent failed to acknowledge popular book titles. 

He finally settled down on an adventure novel, titled _The Legend of Princess Zeina,_ and sat on the beanbag next to Nagito. 

"This is definitely a great way to kill time." Hajime said as he got comfortable in his seat.

Nagito smiled at him. "I'm glad you share the sentiment! I could stay in the library for hours on end. When I stay put and read, I'm not affected by my talent that much.  
It might be the most peaceful way for me to spend time actually. I'm grateful that you asked me to come with you. Though, I'm not boring you, right?" 

"Don't worry, you're not." Hajime affirmed. 

Nagito was giving him that look of pure adoration again, which sent a warm, tingly feeling in Hajime's chest. The white-haired boy made a cute little noise as he resumed reading. Hajime returned to his book too, but after a few pages, he decided that he had lost interest in the book in his hands. 

Later that night, when dinner had been eaten and his day clothes swapped for sleepwear, he let himself relive that one short, sweet moment. Weird as he may be, Nagito Komaeda was certainly good company. Hajime was definitely looking forward to spending time with him again.

"Oooh... Seems like someone had a great time. Did one of the lovely ladies catch your eye?" Monokuma asked. "You've been staring at the ceiling like a lunatic for a while now."

"It's not that." Hajime said. "I was just... thinking about today. How much better my life has gotten." 

"Hmmm... Alright, keep your secrets. You've been making goo-goo eyes at that human cotton swab a lot though... Could the Almighty Izuru Kamukura actually swing the other way?"

"What? No!" Hajime sat up. "He's just... one of the few people I've met that treated me like an actual person. Even if one of those times were under the guise of me being talented, but still!"

He would never admit it out loud, but Hajime didn't miss the way Nagito had blushed at their first meeting. Granted, he didn't act that way now, and his behavior could simply be chalked up to initial shyness...

_No, he's just overthinking this._

He's content with what he has for now. Nagito was his first friend and he couldn't afford to mess that up.

Hajime fell asleep, his dreams filled with the woody smell of books, the soft feeling of cotton, and eyes full of hope and happiness sparkling back at him. 


End file.
